Why the
Ancient Agora
and Hephaestus Temple
in Athens are special

"Agora" in Greek means "a gathering place". And so it was in Athens and some other cities of Greece. It was the civic center of political, social, intellectual, judicial and commercial life.

The Agora site is visually enhanced by the presence of its neighbor, the Hephaestus Temple.

Agora
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Socrates

He often sauntered through the Ancient Agora as he lectured Plato and his other students. His life later ended here when he downed the fatal hemlock drink.

Deterioration

He often sauntered through the Ancient Agora as he lectured Plato and his other students. His life later ended here when he downed the fatal hemlock drink.

Excavation

The site lay hidden until it was unearthed in the 1890s during a railroad construction project. When Athenians recognized its historic value, non-Agora structures were torn down and the Ancient Agora was slowly excavated.

Almost all the buildings we see today are flattened ruins, comprised mostly of foundation blocks and floor slabs. One notable exception is the colonnaded Stoa of Attalos (see photo). It was restored in the 1950s. Unfortunately, it was rebuilt in a style that vaguely reminds me of a Las Vegas hotel lobby.

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